Which country has won the most Paralympic medals?

In a recent post, we took a closer look at some of the most famous Paralympians of all time. These Paralympians are the ones who have inspired others to get into Para sport and in most cases, they are also some of the most successful Paralympians of all time.  

Whether it’s the summer or winter Paralympic Games, there have been some stand-out athletes over the past 64 years since the start of the Paralympic Games in 1960. These Para athletes are all individuals striving to win their events, however, they are also there to proudly represent their country.  

For many athletes, there is no higher honour than representing your country at the Paralympic Games, Olympic Games, World Championships, or other major global events and whilst individual success is celebrated, we also wanted to take a closer look at the most successful countries at both the summer and winter Paralympic Games. 

Which country has won the most medals at the Summer Paralympics? 

The first official summer Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960 and including those Paralympics, there has been a total of 16 summer Paralympics up to and including Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). New Zealand has participated in 14 of those 16 Paralympics, however, the medal table is dominated by countries that have participated in all 16 with the exception of Canada (14) and China (10). 

Below is the medal table showing the top ten countries in terms of medals won at the Summer Paralympic Games: 

As we can see, the United States leads the way when it comes to the number of medals won at the Summer Paralympic Games with a total of 2,283 medals – a phenomenal haul. The team has averaged 143 medals per summer Paralympic Games competed. The last time out in Tokyo, the USA picked up 104 medals in total, finishing third in the overall medal table behind China and Great Britain. 

China is the biggest threat to the USA’s dominance. Despite only competing in ten summer Paralympic Games to date, they have already collected an impressive 1,237 medals, although that average of 124 medals per Paralympics still puts them some way behind the USA. In Tokyo, the Chinese team collected a total of 207 medals, including 96 golds, so watch this space as they try and chase down the USA in terms of the most successful teams at the Summer Paralympics.  

The New Zealand Paralympic Team currently sits in 29^th place in the overall medal table for Summer Paralympics with a total of 201 medals from their 14 Paralympic Games to date. They will, of course, be hoping to add to that total at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games which will start in August 2024, and have Ireland in their sites – the team sitting directly above them in the table with one more medal. 

Which country has won the most medals at the Winter Paralympics? 

The first Winter Paralympics were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976, 16 years after the first Summer Paralympic Games. Since then, there has been a total of 13 winter Paralympic Games, up to and including the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics in China. New Zealand has participated in 12 of those Winter Paralympic Games, making their debut in Geilo in 1980.  

Like the Summer Paralympic Games, the medal table is dominated by teams that have participated in every one of the Paralympic Games since 1976 with the exception of Germany (9), Russia (6), and the Ukraine (7). 

Below is the medal table showing the top ten countries in terms of medals won at the Winter Paralympic Games: 

As we can see from the table above, Austria are the leading country in terms of total medals won at the Winter Paralympic Games with a total of 345 medals across 13 Games. Norway, however, lead the way when it comes to gold medals, picking up 140 gold medals, ahead of the United States who sit in second place in the overall medal table despite having one more overall medal than Norway who would sit in third place in terms of total medals. With a total of 345 medals, Austria averages 27 medals per Paralympic Games and showcases the fact that there are far fewer events at the Winter Paralympics compared to the Summer Paralympic Games. 

The last time out at Beijing, China, the People’s Republic of China finished at the top of the medal table, collecting 61 medals in total including 18 golds. This was a strong performance from the home nation, showcasing their renewed commitment to Para Sport and boosting them up to 14th in the overall medal table despite only competing in six Winter Paralympic Games. Ukraine, Canada, France and the United States made up the top five countries in Beijing, with New Zealand finishing 15th with four medals in total.

The New Zealand Paralympic Team currently sits in 16^th place in the overall medal table with a total of 35 medals from the 12 Winter Paralympic Games they have competed in. The team does have a strong record when it comes to gold medals, with 17 of their 35 medals being gold. The next Winter Paralympics will be held in Milano Cortina in 2026 and the New Zealand Paralympic Team will be hoping to close the gap on Slovakia and China who sit just above them in the medal table with 18 and 19 gold medals respectively.  

Which country has won the most medals combined at the Summer and Winter Paralympics? 

Finally, let’s take a closer look at how the overall medal table looks when we combine the Summer and Winter medal counts. Obviously, the table is heavily dominated by those top countries at the Summer Paralympic Games as there are far more events at the Summer Paralympic Games, however, there are some small movements in the top ten which you can see in the table below: 

As we can see from the table above, the USA lead the way when it comes to the total number of combined medals from the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, winning a total of 2,616 medals including 927 gold medals. They are currently 662 medals ahead of their nearest rival, Great Britain and they average 90 medals across the 29 Summer and Winter Paralympic Games in which they have participated. 

As with the Summer Paralympic Games, China may well be the country that eventually challenges the USA for overall medal dominance at the Paralympics. Having only competed at 16 of the 29 Paralympic Games, China has already amassed over 1,000 medals, averaging 81 medals per Paralympic Games competed in which puts them ahead of second-placed Great Britain when it comes to the average number of medals awarded at a Paralympic Games in which they have participated.

New Zealand currently sits in 29^th position in the overall combined medal table with a total of 232 medals across the Summer and Winter Paralympics at which they have competed. In terms of overall gold medals, the New Zealand Paralympic Team jumps up two places ahead of Ireland and Belgium with a total of 96 gold medals, just two behind 26^th placed Denmark. 

First published on 23 June 2021. Republished and updated 26 July 2024.